Directing an employee to take annual leave
Free webinar for small business: Getting ready for the holiday season
We’re holding a free webinar for small business owners and anyone responsible for employing or managing staff. Whether you’re putting on Christmas casuals, shutting down for the holidays, approving leave or wondering about public holidays, we’ll help you better understand your obligations.
The webinar is on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 2 pm AEDT.
For more information and to register, go to Webinars.
An employer can only direct an employee to take annual leave in some situations. For example, when:
- the business is closed during the Christmas and New Year period
- an employee has accumulated excess annual leave.
The rules about when and if an employer can direct an employee to take annual leave is set out in awards and registered agreementsA document between an employer and their employees covering employment conditions. A registered agreement must be approved by and registered with the Fair Work Commission. Examples of registered agreements include enterprise agreements (including single and multi-enterprise) and greenfields agreements. .
To find out more visit:
Source reference for page: Fair Work Act 2009 sections 93, 94(5)
